Ajax enthusiastically received in America

Ajax Online Academy was recently present at an important soccer convention in Baltimore, USA. “The American coaches were very enthusiastic regarding the practice material offered by Ajax via the site”, said Denny Ladru and Mike Vermin on behalf of the Ajax Online Academy.

Eight thousand coaches attended the largest annual soccer convention in the United States. The soccer competition’s draft is linked to the event, meaning that the coaches select their players for the upcoming season. “Everyone who’s anyone in the industry attends the convention”, says the experienced Vermin. “There are coaching clinics all day.”

And that’s exactly what Ajax Online offers. Coaches can see online ready – made practice material. “This is a unique formula”, say the Ajax delegates. “Everton has something that’s somewhat similar. But there’s nothing like the Ajax Online Academy. The coaches were very enthusiastic. We’ll use John O’Brien, who is an American talent who’s gone through the Ajax youth training, as a relay.”

Technical soccer knowledge isn’t very widespread among American coaches. “We now know that we need to offer complete trainings, because there isn’t much expertise at the lower levels. We need to implement the trainings at the grass roots level, so that the coaches with less experience have access. Our program, for instance, shows the distance that the pawns need to stand from each other during a practice. The coaches want that level of detail.”

The first contact with the directors of coaching will be made during the convention. Now, the associations need to do the work, and make use of the packages. “It’s really for everyone. We don’t just want to reach the professional clubs, but the amateur ones too. And in the US, there are many clubs with around twenty thousand members. It’s unbelievable. And in the US, they only know one Dutch club: Ajax.”